Roaming South America

Pichanaqui, Perú

August 4, 2023

Pichanaqui, Perú, has a population of about 42,000. The town/district is located pretty much in the center of Perú. It sits in a valley at an elevation of about 525 meters (1722 feet). The name Pichanaqui comes from two Quechua words: 'picha' means dragged or swept away; naqui (or naki) means river. The town is also known as the coffee capital of Perú.

There's not a lot of historical info on the web. In the mid-1700s the Quechuan chief Atahualpa led raids on all the missions that had been built in the central jungle area. He hoped to restore the lands to Inca rule, but that attempt did not go as planned. Around 1756, he disappeared, nobody knows to where or what happened to him. Then we skip to the 1960s, and the beginning of the organization of Pichanaqui as a town. In 1973, three towns in the valley - Pichanaqui, La Merced, and Satipo - were connected by the first paved highway in the area.

Pichanaqui has a tropical climate. The average daytime high of 31° C (88° F), and the nightly average low of 22° C (72° F). The city's elevation averages 525 meters (1722 feet). The average yearly rainfall amounts to 2588 mm ( 102.3 inches) of rain.

So, my impressions: For a city of only about 42,000, it has a surprisingly big commercial area. The town is also very dusty, with lots of dust in the air, which is surprising considering it is in the Andes Mtns and not in a desert or along the coast. The town has nothing interesting to see, but outside the town, in the mountains, are many places to visit. The town itself does have a lot of good, proper coffee shops, though.

My goal is to find a new place to live. So to reach that goal, I am traveling most of South America, visiting the countries of Ecuador, Perú, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, passing through a bit of Brazil, and finally visiting Uruguay. I have a list of towns, about 70 that meet these qualifications: Cities with average day temperatures of 22-28° C (72-83° F) and night temps of 14° C (57° F) and higher; and a population between 28,000-300,000. I analyzed climate and population data of around 700 towns in the countries mentioned above and then pulled out the ones that meet the previously mentioned criteria, which leaves about 70. My preference leans towards towns of less than 100,000 people.  And, now that I have visited more than 130 towns/cities (not including more than 70 in Colombia), I've decided I will want an inland town. I love the beach and walking in the warm water, but getting sunburned is just too easy, even on a cloudy day. At least here in Ecuador. I've also decided that any town with more than 100,000 population will be too big. I've decided that any small town/city (less than around 80,000 population) that meets the temp specifications and has a supermarket and ATM is one worth considering to live in.

My goal is to visit the towns and discover which one calls out to me - "Chip, Chip, make your new home here, this is your new home town". That hasn't happened yet, but the towns listed below are very close to giving me that feeling. At any rate, I have visited very few tourist attractions and archeological sites, etc, those will have to wait for another trip through South America.

My Top 10 list has eight towns on it:

• Tingo Maria, Perú
• Moyobamba, Perú
• Puyo, Ecuador
• Catamayo, Ecuador
• Mazamari, Perú
• La Merced, Perú
• Encarnación, Paraguay
• Formosa, Argentina

During my travels in Ecuador I visited 32 towns/cities. In Perú, I visited 29 towns/cities; in Chile, only five towns; and in Argentina, I visited 16 towns. In Uruguay, I visited five towns, and in Brazil, three. And in Paraguay I have visited 26 cities. That's 116 towns/cities outside of 77 I visited in Colombia while living there for 9 1/2 years.

Next up: Constitución, Perú.